Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

8-5-2009

Abstract

Many US cities are struggling with aging and undersized stormwater management systems, outgrown by sprawl and infilling and no longer sufficient to meet current water quality laws. Residents in watersheds with centralized stormwater management systems are little more than “taxpayers”, with no involvement in mitigating a problem they contribute to beyond their checkbook. However, a growing number of cities are moving towards decentralized stormwater management systems, which maintain water storage and infiltration throughout the watershed using combinations of stormwater management tools, such as permeable pavement and water-retaining landscaped areas. Decentralized systems result in more natural hydrologic dynamics for the watershed and improved ecological conditions in the headwater streams, and more directly connect property owners with the source and solution to stresses in their watersheds.